Reuters Entertainment News Summary

August 28, 2012|Reuters

Following is a summary of current entertainment newsbriefs.

Summer movie misfires drag on 2012 U.S., Canadian boxoffice

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Strong performances fromsuperheroes and a talking teddy bear won't save the summer boxoffice. "The Avengers" brought in big bucks on the big screen,and raunchy comedy "Ted" broke out as a surprise hit. Butalongside the summer successes came a number of flops. Aftersix consecutive increases, summer ticket sales in the UnitedStates and Canada are running 5 percent behind last year'srecord, according to the box office division of Hollywood.com.

Will.i.am song blasts to Mars and back, via Curiosity

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - NASA's Curiosity rover is makingglobal headlines as it travels uncharted territory on Mars, andit will venture into new realms back on Earth this week when itpremieres a new will.i.am song. The Black Eyed Peas rapper'stune "Reach For The Stars" will be broadcast live from thesurface of Mars, via Curiosity, at 1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EDT/2000GMT) on Tuesday to a news conference at NASA's Jet PropulsionLaboratory in Pasadena, California, the organization said in astatement on Monday.

Oprah tops Forbes' high-paid celebrity list

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Her new television network isstruggling, but Oprah Winfrey's bank account is doing justfine, according to financial website Forbes.com, which onMonday named the talk show queen as the highest paid celebrityfor the fourth straight year. Winfrey has failed to find majorsuccess with joint venture partner Discovery Communications onthe OWN network, but her ownership in syndicated TV shows suchas "Dr. Phil," "Rachael Ray," "The Dr. Oz Show" and other mediaproducts enabled her to earn an estimated $165 million betweenMay 2011 and May 2012, Forbes.com said in a story posted onMonday.

Clooney star guest at Obama fundraiser in Switzerland

GENEVA (Reuters) - George Clooney was the star attractionon Monday in what was billed as the U.S. Democratic Party'sbiggest fundraising event abroad aimed at helping PresidentBarack Obama win re-election. The American actor and activist,who traveled by car from his residence on Lake Como, Italy,attended a private reception followed by a gala dinner inGeneva's Old Town.

TV Guide app personalizes viewing choices

TORONTO (Reuters) - Television viewers can watch hundredsof shows via broadcast, cable, satellite TV and the Internet,as well as on-demand, but how does one manage all that content?TV Guide has an app to help. TV Guide late last week released afree companion app for Apple's iOS devices called TV GuideMobile. The highlight is its "Watchlist," a personalized guidebased on user habits that consolidates the many viewing choicesavailable.

French rocker Hallyday in hospital with bronchitis

POINTE-A-PITRE, Guadeloupe (Reuters) - Veteran French rockstar Johnny Hallyday was treated in an intensive care unit at ahospital in the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe on Monday buthis producer said he was stable and being treated for arecurring case of bronchitis. The hospital in the town ofPointe-a-Pitre gave no further details on Hallyday, 69, butsaid he would be transferred from the Caribbean island, aFrench overseas territory, to a facility in nearby Martiniquefor tests.

Female Punk rock band appeals conviction, Russian churchcritical

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A lawyer for the jailed members ofRussian punk band Pussy Riot on Monday appealed against thethree women's conviction for a protest against PresidentVladimir Putin at a church altar, but said he had little hopethe verdict would be overturned. Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22,Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, wereconvicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred aftertheir February protest in Moscow's Christ the SaviourCathedral.

Martin Amis weighs "State of England" from new U.S. home

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Devotees of British novelist MartinAmis anxiously awaiting his fictional commentary on the stateof America after his move to U.S. shores shouldn't hold theirbreath. It will take time for the acclaimed author, who movedto the United States six months ago, to dig into U.S. culturethe way he has in his satirical new novel, "Lionel Asbo: Stateof England."

Rosie O'Donnell says married partner

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian and talk show host RosieO'Donnell married partner Michelle Rounds in an intimatehospital ceremony earlier this summer, the comedian wrote onher official website on Monday. O'Donnell, 50, posted thatRounds, 41, was diagnosed with Desmoid tumors in June, and theydecided to get married in the intensive care unit on June 9,before Rounds went into surgery to treat the benign tumors.

Venice film festival promises sex and Scientology

LONDON (Reuters) - Venice is putting its faith in sex andScientology this year to generate the kind of buzz the world'soldest film festival needs to stay ahead of a growing field ofrivals. Celebrating its 80th anniversary, the annual cinemashowcase on the Lido island across the water from the CanalCity has long competed with overlapping Toronto to attract thebest movies and biggest stars to its red carpet and glitzyparty circuit.